Jigen Daisuke's Painful Past
by Intoxicated Gnu
Summary: When Jigen's brother arrives for a surprise visit, Jigen has to decide if he's ready to face his past, and whether his past will dictate his future.
1. Pain and a Pizza

I've decided to rewrite this to get rid of some of the badness, and author's notes. Oh, those author's notes.  
Warnings: It's still short, crack fiction, bad jokes, etc.

Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko sat at a round table, splitting up the loot from their latest heist.  
Fujiko took every piece that was laid before her, stashing them in her shirt before a thought struck her. "Where's Goemon anyway?"  
Lupin shrugged. "Probably out doing some Japanese stuff or something. Who cares, right?" Lupin felt like Goemon wasn't there half the time anyway. He didn't understand that guy.

A dreamy melody echoed throughout the dim mansion, Lupin finishing off the portions and going to the door. He found a man with a creepy stare and a thick mustache wearing overalls.  
"Good-ah evening, Signore, I would-ah like to see Jigen Daisuke," the young man said, eying the note in his hand.  
"Sorry, he's not interested in any purchases today," Lupin said and began to close the door.  
"Wait!" The handsome but colorblind man shouted, shoving his feet in the way of the door. "I'ma no salesman! I'm his-ah brother, Luigi!"  
Lupin had met many of Jigen's ex-partners, of which Jigen probably had more than Fujiko, but that was a new story. "Jigen never told me about a brother."  
"But that does not-ah change blahd," the man calling himself Luigi said with heartfelt eyes. "I Googled-ah Japanese-ah customs and have-a brought you a gift of the pizza!"  
"A pizza!" Lupin said with lustful eyes. "I... Okay, come on in." Lupin reopened the door, eyes glued to his new prize as his guest walked in.

Lupin returned with a slice of pizza half-stuffed into his mouth, Luigi walking in beside him.  
Jigen slammed his hands on the table, standing in disbelief. "Luigi! What are you doing here?"  
"Mio fratello, it-a has been eight year. Mucha too long!"  
"I told you never to come here. Go home; tornare a casa, per favore!"  
"Puh-leeza, allow me to speaka witha you, just for little while. Where is your room, mio caro fratellino?"  
Jigen sighed. "Fine, but by tomorrow, you leave, right?" He didn't want his past complicating his thief life. Never had he thought that his past would catch up to him that way. Luckily, it looked like Lupin and Fujiko didn't understand most of what his brother said.

"They call you Jigen now, yes?" Luigi sat beside his brother. "Perché, fratellino? Why you have-ah 'voided me for eight year?"  
Jigen scoffed, turning his head. "I don't think I need to explain it." With his brother's return, painful memories had flooded back to Jigen's mind. In the time he had been away from home, it hadn't been so bad; he had fun with his friends and never had to worry about money. He was a different person and he didn't want to return to his sulking ways.  
Luigi's voice pierced through his thoughts. "Mario, are-ah you still...?"  
Jigen couldn't take it anymore; he buried his face into his hands as something inside of him broke. "I couldn't save her."

_"I couldn't save her."_


	2. Beer Battered Belligerence

I'm also giving the chapters titles. Ooh, so awesome and improved.

Lupin tapped his fingers along the wall as he contemplated the situation. Luigi had a clear accent. Did that mean Jigen was from Rome or Ukraine or wherever? Lupin had always assumed Jigen to be from New York or Chicago or somewhere else that might explain those skills he had. The fancy wines of France, the fashionable men of Rome; were they all just a covet for depravity? And if so, why hadn't he been able to find any good action while he was there? Why hadn't Jigen said anything?

Lupin decided that it couldn't be true. Jigen was a friend, and friends didn't keep exciting secrets from friends. The only reason after that was something that Lupin could not explain, nor even imagine. If only Jigen would open his mouth. Luigi hadn't left the next day as planned, saying there was something he needed to do, and Jigen hadn't said a word. Lupin found that his detective skills had gotten rusty. Rather than finding any clues, he'd nearly made a game of avoiding himself, a dreaded realization that hadn't come since his early teenage years in which he'd been obsessed with throwing away his childhood so he could become more mature and win over ladies.

He'd achieved one of those, at least.

In getting distracted thinking about his conquests with women, Lupin missed the dark suit that passed by his eyes. By the time he snapped out of it, remembering that he'd gotten off track, Jigen was already making his way down the front steps, hands stuffed moodily into his pockets. Lupin ran to catch up. "Hey, Jigen, buddy, where ya goin'?" Lupin said with a smile that tried to say he wasn't trying not to look suspicious.  
"Nowhere special."  
"You don't say." It was going nowhere fast. Lupin grabbed Jigen's shoulder to stop him from going any further. "Is there something wrong?"  
"No. Why?"  
Lupin inched out enough to stare blatantly at Jigen's face with concern. He could see Jigen had been crying. He tightened his grip. "You're not leaving, are you?"  
Jigen turned to him with a feeble smile. "Of course not. I'm just going out for a walk." He pulled away and continued walking.  
Once Jigen was out of sight, Lupin dragged himself back inside.

Jigen took random paths, hoping a good dose of that 'ousiana air could clear his mind, and his heart. They were still tarnished by the memory of her helpless cries, the hideous laughter of the enemy. The things he had seen, the things they had heard, they all haunted him. He had failed, and for eight years, he had tried to pretend it had never happened. Ya threw a flower on pig excrement and it was still pig excrement, so throwing a tarp on failure didn't make it anything less.

Lupin was determined to sit and wait for Jigen's return. With one leg thrown over the other, he stared at the wall.  
Eventually, Luigi arrived, stretching with a huff. "Ah, buongiorno, Signor Lupin."  
Lupin abandoned his post, hopping out of his seat and approaching Luigi with a glare. Upon seeing Luigi's confusion, Lupin grabbed him by the overall straps and pulled. "What did you do to Jigen!"  
Wincing, Luigi tried to push Lupin away to no avail. "Y-you hurt-ah Luigi, Signor Lupin."  
"Well?" Lupin growled, throwing him to the floor.  
Luigi frowned, picking himself up. "I... I jus want to know why only brather nota talka to mi for the eight year."  
"You think I'm going to buy that? What else did you want, huh?" He moved forward, but was held back.  
"You are going too far, Lupin," came the voice of Goemon, who had appeared out of nowhere.  
"Who's side are you on?" Lupin screamed into his ear.  
The frantic knock at the door brought a temporary end to the feud.

Lupin stood to the side, opening the door quickly enough to hide his arm as the door crept open.  
Jigen fell onto the floor.  
Lupin gathered the man into his arm, giving him a gentle shake. "Hey, are you okay?" He could smell moonshine, the local delicacy, on Jigen's breath.  
Goemon helped him carry Jigen up the stairs. They laid him onto his bed, Goemon holding his breath to the stench of alcohol and cigarettes.  
Having calmed down from his outburst, Lupin went back to sit across from Luigi, Goemon standing behind him. Leaning in, Lupin asked, "So, what exactly _did_ happen?"


	3. The Wedding Gown Blues

A high, childish screech pierced through his ears. "No!"  
Jigen stared up, seeing the full height of his enemy for the first time. "Princess!" he shouted as loud as he could.  
Bower held the tiny, fragile princess in his hands with an evil laugh. "What do you think of this one, _Princess_?" he hissed, holding up a lacy white gown for their wedding.  
Her blond hair flailed as she shrieked. "Let me go! Help me!" she screamed, trying to pry her way out of his grasp.  
Jigen sneered. "He'll never win. I made a promise to protect her."  
Luigi grabbed his brother's shoulder, a fearful drop of sweat crawling down his face. "M-maybe th-that'sa nota sucha g-g-good idea..."  
The giant spiked turtle looking bloke began to stalk off, the wailing princess remaining in his gentle grip.  
"Luigi," Jigen muttered, determination in his tired voice. "I have to, for the sake of love."  
Luigi panted and staring him down before he gave a nod, knowing he could not stop his brother. "Go on, fratellino," he said in resignition, giving his brother a slight push on the back.  
"Thanks."

He ran off to catch up. Luigi watched from afar, only able to pray.  
He felt himself falling. It happened in a split second, but with the dread washing over him, moving quickly without footing, he could have been fooled into thinking it had been hours. The horrible attack the gigantic monster had inflicted upon him was sure to leave a bruise on his skin, but his soul...  
"Mario!" Luigi ran to his brother's side. "You are-a alright?" He held up the rock his brother had tripped on before he was able to reach Bowser.  
Jigen pushed himself up, tears welling in his eyes. He dug his fingernails into the dirt as the pain stung his heart.  
"Mario..."  
"I... failed," Jigen choked.  
Luigi strugged to get his brother up. "Mario, he'sa huge. He meraly is maybe ahead by the twenty feets," he reminded his brother, too nervous to go fight Bowser himself.  
Jigen shoved him away, sad eyes clinging desperately to the sky, which was now pouring down rain—crying for him. Jigen screamed in agony, as if his voice was singing a sweet and grim symphony to the sky, his endlessly streaming tears joining with those of the clouds.

Jigen sat up, shivering with cold sweat. It had been many a year since he had seen that dream—or rather, memory. Even after those many years, her helpless screams could haunt like no other. "Princess," he whispered, disconnected from the world for that brief moment until reality caught up with him once more and he had to hide his face behind his arm with a muffled sob. "I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sorry..."

Lupin barked in laughter. "So that's Jigen _real_ name? His really real name?"  
"Yes," Luigi said with a sigh, head lowered from the painful memories.  
Lupin held his stomach as the laughter poured from him once more. "Mario? What kind of a name is that?" Sure, it had taken him a while to get used to a name he was pretty sure wasn't a name anyway, but _Mario_?  
Luigi slammed a fist onto the coffee table, his moustache trembling with pure anger. "It'sa nota fanny!"  
Lupin laughed harder.  
Goemon shot Lupin a stern glance. "Lupin, you are being rude."  
Lupin straightened himself up, clearing his throat in an attempt to stop. "Right, sorry."

Jigen stumbled down the stairs in a daze, holding onto the railing with all of his might.  
"Jigen!" Lupin went to assist him. "Feeling better at all?"  
There was no response.  
Lupin frowned. Jigen could hardly stand; he was walking down the stairs likea crippled old man. "Hangover, huh?" It wasn't until Lupin had set him down upon the couch that Jigen spoke.  
"Sorry," he mumbled. "What was all the laughing about?"  
Lupin looked away in guilt. "Oh, uh, nothing."  
"I... tolda them. Everything," Luigi admitted in a low voice.  
Jigen's eyes went wide. "You..."  
"I hada to. They youra amici. They tooka the place-a the brother for the eight year."  
Jigen held his lips tightly together. Now his friends knew about all of his lies. "I... I..." His body sagged as he struggled for words.  
"It is alright. We understand," Goemon assured him.  
Jigen repeated the only words he could come up with, those words he had said so many times before. "I'm sorry."


End file.
